First time bike

markievicz

Hey I'm buying a new bike for my sister for her birthday. She has been cycling quite a bit but it's mostly on a MTB. I was thinking of buying a hybrid bike for her because a road bike would be a complete waste of time up here. I was looking at this bike in halfords

http://www.halfords.ie/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product_storeId_11101_catalogId_15551_productId_812401_langId_-1_categoryId_212377#tab2

And also this one
http://www.halfords.ie/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product_storeId_11101_catalogId_15551_productId_810713_langId_-1_categoryId_212377#tab2


I need some advice on which one would be a better buy for her. She's 25, moderately athletic but she always gets really into exercise and sport during the summer months and she would cycle every two days at the minute.

endacl

I'd buy her a voucher, and direct her to this forum with the same question.

Lumen

Neither. Avoid suspension. Apollo bikes are reportedly crap, Carrera are fine.

endacl

On the other hand OP, you could get her to pick a bike that (a) she thinks she wants, and the good folks here will set her straight or, (b) pick a bike she likes and the good folks here will advise her on better but similar options.

Either way, its hard to buy a bike for somebody else. Best guess at best. Some good advice here to refine a choice, but people will need a little to go on. Budget? For pootling about or for training? Long spins/short spins?

Etc...

spoke2cun

Why would a road bike be a waste of time 'up here'. You'll probably upgrade to a road bike eventually anyway.

endacl

I've been wondering about this one for a while. Why is a road bike an 'upgrade'? Different machine for a different job. Most of my cycling is commuting. Mostly less than 10k. A hybrid is, I've found, the best machine for the job. I wouldn't choose to do it on a road bike. My road bike, before it was 'appropriated', was a different machine for a different job. Long spins. Wouldn't do those on a hybrid.

Answers on a postcard ....

hardCopy

endacl wrote: »

I've been wondering about this one for a while. Why is a road bike an 'upgrade'? Different machine for a different job. Most of my cycling is commuting. Mostly less than 10k. A hybrid is, I've found, the best machine for the job. I wouldn't choose to do it on a road bike. My road bike, before it was 'appropriated', was a different machine for a different job. Long spins. Wouldn't do those on a hybrid.

Answers on a postcard ....

IMO a roadbike makes a perfectly good commuter, a hybrid does not make such a good long distance option.

A hybrid could make sense if your commute had some gravel or light off-road. I'd prefer a cyclocross bike for that myself but they can be pricy.

I've also yet to meet a road in Ireland that was unsuitable for a roadbike, that includes cycling on fire-roads and bog roads in rural Mayo. You just need decent tires fully inflated.